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Asbestos path

I've a old concrete path in the garden. When it was put down by a previous house owner he used asbestos as shuttering which remains in situ under the soil level.

There is no way I can break it up. It is in soundish condition though there's a six inch strip running along the whole length (25 m) of the path when the Privious owner decided to extend the width! again using asbestos as shuttering! creating an ugly groove/joint between it and the original Path, hence why I want a new path. Can I use it as foundations and lay new paving on top Or do I have to get specialists in to remove it? If the later I would always worry when digging the garden over.

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  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,091

    It's safe as long as you don't disturb it at all. Paving over is fine as long as you don't expose the asbestos in the process (and don't drill through the concrete). 

    If you decide to get rid of it, you will have to get someone who holds the right licenses both to take it up and to safely dispose of it. If you don't have a spare £1000 or so, leave it severely alone.

    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114

    Is it asbestos-cement?  In which case it is safe.  Do not be panicked as in the post above.  If you want to be reassured read up in the subject.

  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053

    Is it the asbestos sheeting that was used for roofing? If so then it is quite safe to just dig it out. if you lay a new path over it it will be at least four inches higher which may look a bit odd.

    Last edited: 23 September 2016 09:34:33

    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • It is the dust from Asbestos which is the killer and if it had not been mixed with concrete would have disintegrated almost as soon as the wet hit it. You could pave over it cementing the edges in or run a cement screed over the lot sealing it all in. You know it is there so not likely to dig near it and the natural damp in the air and ground will stop it dusting off. Many rain water gutters down comers and even kitchen ceilings were made of Asbestos in the splurge of new house building after the war and well into the 60's we have probably all lived with it at sometime in our lives. If you decide you cannot live with it wear gloves goggles and a coverall, bag it securely then call the council, you will get a lecture but they will take it away. As stated above a specialist firm will cost you.

    Frank.

  • ClaringtonClarington Posts: 4,949

    Donty. It's your garden; what you choose to do is entirely up to you. But Asbestos when undamaged and left well alone is safe. Once it starts to be drilled / damaged then the problems come. 

    I've just had an asbestos garage taken down by asbestos specialists (£600 for anyone who thinks it'll cost thousands; I was quoted not much less for taking a similar sized non asbestos shed down!) They came and went and did a brilliant job leaving no mess and of course they protected the area they worked in.

    You might be best if it's in good condition and you can cope with the height difference skimming over the top to cover the gap. But for peace of mind I recommend getting an asbestos company in to give you a free quotation for removal and disposal. (You can remove low grade asbestos yourself double bagging it and transporting it to certain recycling centres but certainly in my case it was easier and cheap enough to just get someone else to do it and keep my car clean!)

  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,091
    Clarington says:

    I've just had an asbestos garage taken down by asbestos specialists (£600 for anyone who thinks it'll cost thousands; I was quoted not much less for taking a similar sized non asbestos shed down!) They came and went and did a brilliant job leaving no mess and of course they protected the area they worked in.

    See original post

    Easier to take down a garage then dig up a path without releasing dust though.

    It's not dangerous if you leave it alone. If you want it gone, get someone to quote and take their advice on what level of risk it is now.

    Please don't take Frank's advice and DIY it. I don't know of any council who will remove asbestos rubble, or even double wrapped whole sheets - even supposing you could get it out without breaking it, which seems unlikely. Some recycling centre will take asbestos if it's properly bagged but all the ones around here charge for taking them and there is a strict limit on quantity. They won't take a path's-worth from you - maybe 3 rubble bags at most. So you will still have to pay a licensed disposal company and you may very well be prosecuted. The HSE take asbestos very seriously these days.

    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • I'd suggest you use the internet to find out about the amount of asbestos which is probably/actually one of the constituent materials.  I believe you'll find that it's probably less than 15% of the total and - as others have already said - it's not as "dangerous" as some people think!  The problems were first brought to people's attention when asbestos insulating materials were removed from industrial sites and it's inhalation of  the dust which was created which caused them.  As far as I know, this particular kind of asbestos isn't the same type as that which is mixed with concrete to make roofing etc.

    There are hundreds of thousands of industrial buildings, farm buildings, garages and so on which have "asbestos" roofs and nobody's panicing about them right now!

  • ClaringtonClarington Posts: 4,949
    raisingirl says:
    Clarington says:

    I've just had an asbestos garage taken down by asbestos specialists (£600 for anyone who thinks it'll cost thousands; I was quoted not much less for taking a similar sized non asbestos shed down!) They came and went and did a brilliant job leaving no mess and of course they protected the area they worked in.

    See original post

    Easier to take down a garage then dig up a path without releasing dust though.

    It's not dangerous if you leave it alone. If you want it gone, get someone to quote and take their advice on what level of risk it is now.

    Please don't take Frank's advice and DIY it. I don't know of any council who will remove asbestos rubble, or even double wrapped whole sheets - even supposing you could get it out without breaking it, which seems unlikely. Some recycling centre will take asbestos if it's properly bagged but all the ones around here charge for taking them and there is a strict limit on quantity. They won't take a path's-worth from you - maybe 3 rubble bags at most. So you will still have to pay a licensed disposal company and you may very well be prosecuted. The HSE take asbestos very seriously these days.

    See original post

     Raisingirl: when I took an asbestos awareness course (for engineering industry) contractors are advised to spray water on the asbestos to damp it down while it is removed. This prevents (or at least limits) the dust being released into the atmosphere. I didn't mention this because of course it is much easier to contain water on a factory site than ones garden. The chaps who took my garage away did say they preferred a damp day as it kept things just moist enough so I imagine if they also use it as an option.

    http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/info/200084/bins_rubbish_and_recycling/153/dispose_of_hazardous_or_problem_items

    It is worth, should you want to go through the route of disposal and DIY (to be honest far too much effort in my eyes but then I do suffer from laziness) be sure to check your local councils website for advise. Mine for instance (above) tells you where to double bag and take the asbestos too.

  • Raisin Girl As an Engineer at ICI I did see tons of the stuff and watched it removed to get at boilers and pipework. Normal procedure by H&S was suited booted a mouth muslin mask and goggles complete with hard hat, yes you were in more danger of it falling on you. This is a path edging it has been down a while and will be damp, if it had been the board it would be long gone rotted away so must be Cement mix which will be a small amount, removal as I said and suitably bagged our council will take it away as very low risk. The risk was always the dust, fine particles floating in the air and being breathed constantly. Most of us who have lived in houses built after the war lived with it unknowingly and some still do, at least your ironing boards, mats to sit hot pans on, Oven Gloves and modern hot water systems no longer use it. Yes it is dangerous if allowed to dry out as it would in Kitchen Ceilings of old although they would be painted so sealing them, in the situation described it could be removed without danger if normal precautions are taken. We gardeners are in far more danger from what we spray on our plants so the watch word is do not panic, be logical. If in doubt then pay for removal by all means.

    Frank.

  • Thanks for all the responses on this. When I moved here I too had an asbestos garage and a slab screwed to the kitchen wall where the cooker stood. When I got the specialists in they said "you can eat the garage and it wouldn't harm you but that (pointing to the kitchen wall) will kill you."

    It's the same killer stuff in the path and it's well fixed to the concrete so by no means would it come out without heaven duty machinery

    I'm on a shoestring budget. I'm not concerned about the height rising a few inches and I have to do the laying of new paving myself so the remaining question is will the existing path work as a suitable base to lay flags on a bed of sand and cement?

    thanks, Donty

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